Lawsuit Targets Surfing Gang on Wealthy California Coast

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed on Tuesday is asking a federal judge to prevent a group of surfers, known as the Lunada Bay Boys, from continuing with over a decade of violence and intimidation tactics to prevent “outsiders” from surfing in their spot along the coast in Palos Verdes Estates, one of California’s most coveted surf breaks.

“Palos Verdes Estates has a long history of deliberate indifference in not investigating or otherwise policing acts of violence and vandalism against visiting beachgoers,” the suit alleges, according to the Associated Press. “The response is always the same: City leaders acknowledge the problem, promise to do something, and then do little or nothing.”

The suit reportedly also asks the judge to require that the city, which is home to many upper-echelon residents and the median income is nearly $200,000, investigate and prosecute crimes allegedly committed by the Lunada Bay Boys.

The attacks on the “outsiders” allegedly includes bombarding them with dirt clods, tossing rocks at them, slashing their car tires and assaulting them in the water — sometimes coordinating the attacks with walkie talkies.

The Los Angeles Times reports that El Segundo police officer Cory Spencer, who says he has also been harassed by the Lunada Bay Boys, also joined other alleged victims in the class-action lawsuit. According to the Times, it has been years since police have made an arrest at Lunada Bay.

According to the AP, the “locals only” clashes are nothing new. In 2004, an outsider who was attacked at the surf spot was awarded a $450,000 judgment for injuries he sustained which included a chipped tooth and injured knee.